No Such Thing
by Donnavan
Summary: Something that's been done a million times before...But I couldn't resist. There's a new girl. Who's involved with magic. PG-13 just in case. I don't know why it's called what it is. I was bored and couldn't think of a title?
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: I know, I know, Sammie's probably a bit Mary Sue-ish. I basically wrote this for fun, and some friends wanted it up so they would read it, so….there we are. Review, please, unless you're just going to write nasty things about how the world shudders at my attempt at writing. That's not shway. ;P

Terry McGinnis pulled his girlfriend closer to him, enjoying the time he could spend with her. Dana looked up at him and smiled, then went back to whatever she had been discussing with Chelsea. Before long, she had given him a kiss good-bye and was off to her lunch meeting of the yearbook club. Terry watched her and Chelsea leave, then turned to scan the hoards of students for any sign of his best friend. Max had an extra credit assignment to do during the first part of lunch, but she was going to meet him there once she was finished.

Instead of Max, though, his gaze was drawn to an unfamiliar girl walking slowly along the cement path. She had straight black hair that fell over her shoulders like a soft sea of ebon wheat. Her eyes were downcast, hiding their color, and were situated under black brows that weren't tweezed to perfection like most girls nowadays. Her straight nose and high cheekbones complemented her copper colored complexion, all of which were obviously Native American. She was dressed Bohemian style, with a soft lavender sweater that accentuated her curves and a long, flowing light blue skirt with intricate designs. Her body was built slightly thick, but she was lovely. She had a subtle prettiness, the kind that screamed the fact she didn't know how beautiful she was.

She had a kind of innocence about her, or rather, a sort of shyness. The other students seemed to notice the quiet vibe, for when Nelson bumped into her and caused her to drop her armful of books, he only stopped briefly to snarl, "Watch where you're going."

That wasn't at all unusual, but when no one else seemed ready to help her, Terry stepped forward. She had crouched down and was in the process of neatly stacking her books when he joined her, helping her pick up the last of them.

"Thank you." She said quietly, not looking at him.

"You're welcome." He told her. "You're new here, aren't you? I'm Terry McGinnis."

"Samantha Redbone." She replied, eyes still downcast. "Nice to meet you."

"Today your first day?" Terry asked, wanting to draw her into conversation.

She nodded as she stood.

He stood up as well. "Where are you headed with all those?"

"My locker." She told him. "Just got my books."

"Let me help." He said, taking three of the five books from her. "You know where your locker is?" He asked when she looked ready to protest.

"Not really." She admitted. "The lady in the office just told me it was number 184."

"Not very helpful, is she?" Terry commented with a grin. "Fortunately, that's right by mine. I'll show you."

She followed him silently, radiating shyness until he couldn't take it anymore.

"So where are you from?" He asked.

"California." She answered.

"Shway." Terry commented. "You know how to surf?"

"Yeah." She replied. "Not much else to do in my hometown, except hit the beaches."

Terry smiled, pleased he had gotten a longer reply. "I can think of worse things. Why'd you move here?"

"My stepdad opened up a new shop here. Decided he wanted to manage it himself instead of delegating the job to someone else." She told him.

"Oh yeah? What kind of store does your stepfather run?" He questioned.

"Bookstore, mostly. We sell coffee and stuff, too, though." She said.

"Shway." He said again, stopping. "Here it is."

She stopped, too, looking at it. "Now let's see if I can open it." She glanced at the slip of paper she was holding for her combination, then spun the dial, smiling when it opened. "Shway."

"You should do that more often." Terry told her.

"Open my locker?" Samantha asked.

"Smile." Terry answered.

"Oh." She muttered, then began putting her books away.

Terry helped her, and when they were finished she swung the locker closed.

"You get your schedule?" Terry asked.

"Yeah." She pulled it out and offered it to him.

"Let's see…Advanced Zoo, oh, geez, brains much? World History, Calculus, PE, hey, we've got that together! American Lit, we've got that one, too….and French Three. Shway, we've got two classes together. Good for me, 'cause I've got no one cool to talk to in those." Terry told her, giving her back her schedule. "If you want, I'll walk you to PE after lunch, to show you where it is."

"Thanks." Samantha said softly, finally looking up at him. Her eyes were a bright emerald green, a total and complete contrast to the rest of her entirely Native American features.

"Oh, wow." Terry commented. "Hey, you been spliced?"

"No." Samantha replied, the word dripping with distaste. "It's natural. My mother was Irish."

"Ah." Terry nodded. "Shway. Looks good."

She blinked, apparently surprised by the ease with which he accepted her answer. The bell rang, then, which caused Terry to blink. Guess it had taken Max longer to finish her work than she thought.

"Well, I guess we better head off to Lit, then." Terry commented with a mock-cheerfulness, leading the way to the class.

Samantha smiled at him and followed. When Samantha picked out a chair in the back and sat down, he slid into the one next to her, to which she seemed vaguely surprised.

"Told you I had no one to hang out with." He told her. "Well, actually, now I do."

"You don't have to." She said softly, then looked away. "I mean, I'll be fine by myself."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe I want to make friends with you?" He asked.

She blinked at him. Obviously, it hadn't. "Okay, then. Just checking." She replied with a light smile.

He drew her out a bit more as the class went on, and found they had much the same taste in music and movies. They also both had after school jobs.

"Mine takes up a lot of my time." Terry told her, after she had mentioned helping her stepfather in the store. "My boss is always calling me for something or another."

"Who do you work for?" She asked.

"Bruce Wayne." He told her. "I'm sort of his assistant."

"As in Wayne-Powers? Shway." She commented.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Except he's really demanding. I mean, I love my job. I'm definitely not complaining about it. I just don't seem to have much of a social life anymore…I don't know how much longer Dana's going to take it." He had told her about his girlfriend earlier. "I know where she's coming from, I just…well, I have important stuff to do know, you know? It's like she's all ticked off 'cause my world can't revolve around her." He paused. "Sorry. I didn't mean to dump on you like that."

She smiled at him. "It's okay, Terry. I don't mind at all. Sometimes it's good just to have someone to talk to. I don't mind being that person."

He looked at her, then smiled. "Oh. Well, thanks."

"No problem. If you keep doing it, though, I might have to start offering advice." She teased.

He grinned a bit, shaking his head. "Soon enough, I'll need some."

After school, Samantha pulled the book she needed for her homework out of her locker and slid it into her bag, then shouldered the pack and walked outside. As she ambled down the stairs, she spotted Terry standing with a pretty dark-haired girl. She wanted to go say hello, but she figured the girl was Dana and he wouldn't want to be interrupted. He saw her stopped, though, and sent a smile in her direction. The girl caught it and glanced over, then said something and Terry waved her over.

"Hi." Samantha greeted when she approached them.

"Hi Samantha." Terry replied. "This is Dana, my girlfriend."

"I guessed." Samantha commented quietly. "I just met Terry today, but I feel like I already know you for all he's talked about you."

Terry shot her a silent grateful look and she smiled, getting the feeling that Dana hadn't been too pleased when he told her about her.

"I hope it was nothing bad." Dana said, smiling a bit.

"No." Samantha told her. "From the way he was talking, I pictured an angel."

Dana blushed, looking pleased, and warmed up quite a bit. "Hey, you're in my history class, aren't you?"

"I don't know." Samantha replied. "Today was kind of a blur."

"Yeah, you are." Dana nodded. "Hey, if you need any help getting caught up, just ask me. I can fill you in on the parts I didn't sleep through."

Samantha smiled. "Thanks."

"No prob." Dana agreed. "I'd offer help right now, but Terry and I are going out."

"Lucky you." Samantha said. "I just get to go work at Spirit's Den."

"That's the store your stepdad owns?" Terry asked. "Shway."

"You get employee discount?" Dana questioned.

Samantha nodded. "Stop by some time while I'm working and I'll let you use it."

Terry's cell phone rang, then, and Dana got a frustrated look on her face.

"Hello?" Terry answered. "Now? Look, can't it wait? I've got…" He sighed. "Okay. Bye." He hung up and turned to Dana. "Dana…."

"I know." She said abruptly. "Mr. Wayne. Whatever, Terry. Call me tonight if you can find time." She informed him, storming off.

Terry sighed, looking seriously depressed as she left.

Samantha reached out and placed a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "Don't worry about it. Call her tonight and talk to her…She'll understand."

"I hope so." Terry said absently, then suddenly became aware of her hand on his arm. "Look, you want a ride? I'm apparently headed that way anyway."

"Yeah." She agreed, pulling her hand away. "That'd be nice."

He led her to a black and red motorcycle and she whistled.

"Nice ride." She told him.

"Thanks." He said with a grin. "There are some perks to working for Wayne."

He handed her the spare helmet and she hopped on behind him, settling herself with ease. They chatted occasionally as they raced across the highways, yelling to hear each other over the wind. Before long, Terry pulled up in front of the store and killed the motor.

"Thanks again, Terry." She told him as she handed him back the helmet.

"No problem, Samantha." He replied.

"Sam." She told him. "My friends call me Sam. So…you know…" Her tone lowered, becoming hesitant. "You can if you want."

"I'd love to." He said with a grin, putting his helmet back on. "Later Sam."

He drove off and she smiled, then waltzed into the store. She made her way to the employees only section and dropped her backpack next to the break room couch. Standing by the door was a middle-aged man with hazelnut brown hair and blue eyes so light they bordered on gray.

"Hi Bill." She greeted.

He nodded absently and went out into the store.

Samantha sighed and lowered her voice. "Hi, Sam. How was school?"

"Okay for my first day." She answered in her own voice. "Made a new friend."

"Oh? What's his name?" She asked, voice lowered.

"Terry." She said, normal tone again. "We've got two classes together."

"Is Terry nice?"

"Yup. He helped me pick up my books when I dropped them."

"Oh. Well, that's good then. I'm glad you're making friends, sweetie."

She nodded. "Dana's nice, too. She's his girlfriend. We've got history together."

Samantha paused, then, glancing around the break room. "Yay me. Now I'm crazy and unsupervised." She grinned a bit. "Oh, well. Guess I better get to work. Yay money and all that."


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Well, what do you know. I actually got two reviews for this. So, Velvet Shadow, Stallion3, thanks a lot, guys! I appreciate the commentary. 

It was after dark and Terry, or rather, Batman, was crouching on a rooftop, watching the streets. After the burglary he had stopped, there were no crimes in progress, so he was just making a routine sweep of the streets before heading home. The first thing he was going to do was call Dana. Unfortunately, those plans were killed when the police scanner in his radio crackled to life. Apparently, there was someone holed up in an apartment building with a few hostages. The police normally could have handled it, but said person seemed to have the ability to throw acid-like goo at whoever came near them.

When he got there, several police cars were outside and the police were attempting to communicate with the goo-criminal, who didn't seem to be particularly chatty. Batman sighed and turned his suit to stealth mode, then quietly snuck into the building. He made it to floor four, where a woman with melting green hands was pacing back and forth in the hall. In the far corner of the hall, two teenage girls and a girl who looked about seven were huddled together.

He started towards her, but she must have sensed him, because she turned and fired some of the goo at him. He leapt aside and the goo settled into the carpet, where it began to hiss. The element of surprise now gone, he switched his suit back to normal.

"Batman!" The woman hissed. "Not sending, we says. No one."

Okay. He thought. She was a bit insane. "Calm down, miss. If you just tell me…"

She was ignoring him, though, and she turned back to the three kids. She looked at them for a moment, then fired her goo. The girls screamed and Batman lunged for them, but already knew he was going to be too late.

From behind him came a shower of purple dust, and a voice called, "Retion!"

A shimmering purple shield leapt up over the girls and the slime hit it, then slid down to the ground where it began dissolving. Both the woman and Batman promptly whirled around to see who had done that.

A young woman stood before them, tall and fierce. Her black hair was blown back from her face by an invisible wind, making it look wild and tangled. A black mask covered her forehead to the tip of her nose. Her skin was darkly tanned, and her eyes from behind the mask were a solid black. Black lipstick outlined her lips. She wore a fishnet long-sleeved shirt over a red bra, tight black pants, and black combat boots. Her fingernails were painted blood red, and she wore fingerless black biker gloves. She looked…well, really Goth. At her side stood a large black wolf with incredibly intelligent amber eyes.

"Guess I'm not late after all." She commented. Her voice was bold, commanding and strong.

The goo-woman immediately threw acid at the newcomer. The Goth tossed a handful of purple dust into the air and repeated, "Retion." A purple shield now appeared around her and the goo slid harmlessly off.

Frustrated, the goo-woman began launching more slime at her. Batman took this opportunity to move in close and knock her out with a simple kick to the temple.

"Nice." The Goth woman commented.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Ferinus." She replied. "Got bored. Figured you could use a hand, luv." She tilted her head, considering. "Prolly was wrong, though." She shrugged. "Oh, well. See you around, Bats." Purple mist surrounded her, and when it disappeared there were two black wolves instead of one. The two wolves promptly turned and padded down the stairs.

Batman stared after them, but then the little girl began to cry and he turned his attention on the ex-hostages.

A while away from the building, Ferinus stopped and shifted back into human. The process was much slower than it had appeared as her wolf parts painstakingly traded themselves for human. When she was done, she stood for a moment, panting.

"Okay, that was stupid. I probably shouldn't have tried to show off." She informed the wolf at her side. "Couldn't help it, though…it was fun." She paused to breathe for a bit. "All right, no more of that. I'm lucky I had the shield spell ready so I didn't have to do the whole thing."

_You're lucky you didn't collapse on the way out. _The wolf commented mentally. _Go home and sleep, Sam. I mean it._

Ferinus frowned and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were green once more. She was shorter, had lost the lipstick, and her hair was back to being straight and inconspicuous. "Fine, Ara. You win. Bed for me. And I'm walking there…No need to waste energy on a transportation spell."

_Good. _Arabus agreed. _Now get going. _

Samantha rolled her eyes and headed back to the apartment where she and her father lived. It was a nice apartment, almost the size of a regular house, so it was easy for her to climb up a tree, jump across to her windowsill, and slip in to her room. Once inside, she quickly slipped off her Goth clothes and pulled on a pair of sweats and a tee shirt. She picked up the dark clothes and opened up a section of her wall, placed them inside, then closed it.

"Maintaining that spell took way too much energy." Samantha muttered to herself. "I've gotta think of a better way of doing it."

She glanced around her room and spotted a book lying on her desk. She smiled, remembering there was something in there about working spells into jewelry and picked it up. She opened up the wall again and pulled out a black choker lined with silver spikes and set with a ruby in the center. After closing the wall, Samantha sat cross-legged on her bed and began flipping through the book.

"Here we go." Samantha commented, finding the section she was looking for.

She worked for the better part of two hours, her fingers tracing complex designs into the choker as she murmured words in Latin. Finally, she held it at arm's distance, looking at it proudly.

_What exactly did you do? _Arabus asked, ready to check her work.

"Worked in a transformation spell. It'll change my clothes into the Goth stuff. Then I put in a creation spell for the mask, and a modified glamour spell for my hair, eyes, and height. I put it on, and…" She slipped the choker around her neck. "Hello, Ferinus."

_What happens if it gets ripped off? _Arabus pointed out.

"Hmm." Samantha commented. "Good point. Okay, I'll put in an attachment spell so only I can take it off."

She went back to work, this time playing with the clasps of the choker. When she was finished, it was just past two in the morning. Samantha yawned, placing the choker into her hidden compartment.

"And now it's bedtime." She said, crawling under the covers. "Night, Ara."

"Ferinus." Bruce repeated.

Terry had told him all about the new girl, emphasizing the magic and her little shape-shifting ability.

"It mean something to you?" Terry asked.

"It's Latin." Bruce replied. "Two meanings: of or relating to a beast and possessing wild magic."

"Well, that certainly fits her." Terry said wearily. "So what do we do about it?"

"Research." Bruce replied. "Talk to the Pagan community to find out if there's anyone who might have a hero complex. Check listings of rogue sorceresses."

"Right." Terry agreed, sounding even more tired. "I'll get Max to help. But right now, I am going home."

Samantha's alarm clock went off at six o'clock the next morning. School didn't start until eight, and she normally didn't wake up until seven, but she needed that extra hour to regain the energy she had lost last night. It was rather a stupid thing to do, especially since she was really out of practice in the Art. Samantha had once worked on her abilities every day with her mother. But when Kathleen had died….Samantha first used magic as a way to escape. But then, every spell she did reminded her of her mother and she had stopped.

Of course, she couldn't really stop being Wiccan. The power was still there, finding other ways out now that she wasn't training it. After a particularly nasty incident involving lots of fire and a school gym that no longer existed, Samantha began to train again. Slowly. She was no where near as powerful as she would have needed to be to pull off all the spell work she had done last night without lasting effects.

She hadn't been able to resist it, though. Here in the city, people were used to vigilantes…No one would complain about her. And it was what she wanted to do. She knew she was powerful…Or rather, had once been. And someday, could be again. She wanted to help people.

_It's called a hero complex, Sam. _Arabus commented.

Samantha sighed and slid out of bed. Arabus was totally separate from the Art, but somehow he seemed to know more than her. Samantha had inherited her magic from her mother, who was an Irish Pagan. Samantha's father was Native American, a member of a tribe that worshipped animals. The chosen ones had the same relationship with animals that all ancient tribe members had had, an interchangeability that involved being part of the animals. They were also gifted with a special animal guide, referred to as a lir. Samantha's father had been overjoyed the day a black wolf pup showed up on his doorstep, looking for his daughter. Of course, he hadn't had much time to revel in that enjoyment.

Samantha shook her head out of her thoughts and padded to the bathroom, filling the tub with warm water and sprinkling in an energy potion. She soaked for about a half an hour, than returned to her room and dressed in ritual clothes. She cast her circle, called upon the Goddess and God, then sat cross-legged on the floor, sending an open-ended plea for strength.

When she sensed it was done, she stood, bade farewell to the deities, and opened the circle. She changed into school clothes of bellbottoms and a tye-dye tee shirt and waltzed out into the living room.

Bill had already left for work, so she fixed herself a bowl of cereal and munched on it while she read the comics. When she finished her breakfast, she pulled on high-heeled moccasin boots, grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door.

As she locked it behind her, she heard someone call her name and she turned.

Terry was coming her way, his own backpack tossed over his shoulder. "Hey, Sam." He greeted. "Small world, huh?"

She nodded. "You live here?"

He gestured behind him. "Yup. Apartment 304."

She smiled. "At least I know someone in the building now."

He grinned back at her. "Making friends already. Offer you a ride to school?"

"Thanks." She told him, looking relieved. "I'd've had to walk otherwise."

"No prob. Come on, I'm parked in the garage." Terry commented, starting towards the elevator.

He yawned as he told the elevator to take them to ground floor and Samantha peered at him.

"You look slagged." She told him.

"Well, at least I look how I feel." He said with a smirk. "I had killer homework after I got off work."

"Ouch." Samantha commented. "At least I didn't have much homework."

"Well, lucky you." Terry retorted.

Samantha laughed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Hey, you got a partner for our Lit assignment yet?"

Terry blinked at her. "We had an assignment?"

"I'll take that as a no." She said. "We have to pick an old play and perform a few scenes in front of the class?"

"Oh." Terry nodded, like he remembered. "Right."

Samantha laughed again, making him smile for some reason. "Right. You wanna work together?"

"Sure." Terry agreed. "Sounds good to me. Wanna get together after school to pick the play?"

Samantha considered, then nodded. "Yup. Don't need to work today. My apartment or yours?"

"My little brother'll be in mine." Terry told her. "He'll be bugging us the whole time."

"Mine it is, then." Samantha said cheerfully.


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: Whee! More reviews! Thanks to JuhFreak, CATgrl, and JediPirateElfyDude. And here's a new chapter. Sorry for the wait. . 

When her last class let out, Samantha walked out in front of the school to wait for Terry. Today had been a fairly good day. She had met another friend who was in both her Zoology and Calculus classes. Turned out Max was a really good friend of Terry's, so they had yet another thing in common. She had gotten along really well with Max, something she was pleased about. Also, Dana had sat by her in history. The two of them had talked a bit, too. So, all in all, good day.

"Hey Terry!" She called as he approached. "How was your day?"

He blinked at the question, seeming surprised that she was asking about him. He then responded with several tales of incidents in his classes that lasted most of the way to their apartments. He then asked her about her own day. She told him her stories as they rode the elevator up.

"Just have to stop by my place and pick up my book." Terry told her.

He unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, motioning for her to follow. Matt was sprawled out on the floor, watching cartoons.

"Hey, twip." Terry greeted. "Where's Mom?"

"Next door talking to What's-Her-Face." Matt replied without looking up.

"'Kay." Terry said, then turned to Samantha. "Be right back."

Matt looked up as Terry disappeared into his room and Samantha smiled at him.

"Hey." She greeted as if she was talking to another teenager. "I'm Sam."

"Matt." He returned. "You dress funny."

She laughed. "You bet. Who wants to look normal?"

He smiled at that and stood up, peering into her eyes. "Isn't splicing illegal?"

She grinned at him, then crouched down so she was at eye-level. "Can you keep a secret?"

He looked at her and nodded solemnly.

"My mom got spliced before it was illegal." She told him. "Then she had me, and this is how I came out. But you can't tell anyone, or she'll prolly get in trouble."

"Wow." Matt said. "Neat. I won't tell."

"I knew I could trust you." Samantha said, standing.

The front door opened and a woman came in saying, "Terry, honey…" She stopped when she saw Samantha, though.

"Hi Mom!" Matt greeted, jumping up. "This is Sam. She's real nice, can we trade her for Terry?"

"I heard that." Terry commented, coming out of his room. "Mom, Sam lives a few doors down from us. We're working on a school project."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. McGinnis." Samantha said politely.

Mrs. McGinnis smiled at her. "You too, dear. Terry, I'm sorry, but I need you to watch Matt."

"Mom!" Terry and Matt protested at the same time.

"I don't need a baby-sitter!" Matt insisted.

"I have to work on this project, Mom." Terry agreed.

"Umm…" Samantha said softly. "Why don't we just work here, Ter? Maybe Matt can help us."

"Yeah!" Matt voiced. "I like that idea."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Mrs. McGinnis asked.

When Samantha assured her that she didn't, Terry's mother gave a few instructions, then left.

"Great." Terry muttered under his breath.

Samantha nudged him slightly. "Won't be that bad. Have an open mind, you. Hey, Matt, wanna help us pick out which play we're going to do?"

The three of them sat down in the living room. Terry had to sit in one of the chairs because Matt plopped himself down next to Samantha on the couch. Terry had to admit it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. In fact, he was enjoying himself when his cell phone rang.

"Oh, man." Terry muttered, then answered it. After a moment, he hung up with a sigh. "Crud. What am I gonna do?"

"Go ahead." Samantha told him. "I'll hang with Matt."

Terry looked up hopefully, then shook his head. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask." Samantha pointed out. "I offered. 'Sides, Matt can help me with my lines. Right Matt?"

"You bet!" Matt agreed.

"Thank you." Terry told her quietly as she walked him to the door. "So much." He couldn't help thinking what Dana would have done in this situation…

"No prob." She replied, then, on impulse, gave him a hug. "I'll see you when you get back."

He hugged her back, perhaps a little longer than he should have, then hurriedly pulled away, nodded. "Right. Thanks again." He told her, rushing out with a whole lot of new thoughts now on his mind.

Samantha shook her head slightly as she closed the door and turned to Matt. "You wanna read Terry's lines?"

Matt picked up the script Terry had dropped on his way out, then hopped up on the couch. "Sure."

They had picked a fairly old play, but not as old as Shakespeare or Miller. The play was called The Killing Dance and was by a Laurell Hamilton. It was about a girl being courted by a guy who she refused, despite being attracted to. As she got closer to accepting his offer, she met another man who she fell in love with. The first man got all pissed off when he heard this and told her if she didn't keep dating him, he'd kill the second man. The smart thing would have been to tell the police, but the girl was stupid and didn't tell anyone what was going on for fear the guy would kill her boyfriend. The scenes they had chosen was a confrontation between the girl and the guy she loved, the guy realizing what was going on, and the ending happy love scene.

The assignment was only two scenes, but Samantha had insisted on putting the last one in there so it would have a happy ending. Terry hadn't minded, since it would get them extra credit and he apparently needed it.

She and Matt were almost done with the lines when the phone rang.

Samantha reached over to pick it up, answering, "Hello, McGinnis residence."

There was a pause, then a female voice asked, "Um, is Terry there or is he still at work?"

"He's still at work." Samantha replied. "Can I take a message?"

"Uhh…yeah." The girl said. "This is Dana…Who is this?"

"Oh, hey, Dana. It's Sam." Samantha greeted.

There was another pause. "Sam?" Dana asked. "What are you doing at Terry's house?"

"We're neighbors." Samantha answered. "Mrs. McGinnis had to leave, so I'm watching Matt."

"Oh." Dana sounded relieved. "Can you tell him I called?"

"Sure." Samantha agreed. "See you tomorrow."

She hung up, frowning slightly. Terry hadn't told Dana they were working on a project together. He probably thought Dana would get the wrong idea. Of course, half the time boyfriends thought their girls would get the wrong idea was because it really was the wrong idea. She shook her head. She wouldn't confront him about it, yet.

"Hey, Sam?" Matt asked. "I'm bored. Can we play a game?"

"Sure, hon." Samantha told him. "What do you want to play?"

Matt picked out several board games and the two played until they heard a key in the lock and the door opened. Samantha stood when Mrs. McGinnis walked in.

"Hi, Mrs. McGinnis." She greeted. "Terry had to take off for work, so I stayed behind with Matt. Hope that's okay."

Mrs. McGinnis smiled at her. "Okay? It's wonderful. Thank you, sweetie. And call me Mary." She told her. "Would you like to stay for dinner? It's the least I can do."

"As long as it's not too much trouble, I'd love to." Samantha replied. "Thanks."

"We have to have something without meat, Mom, 'cause Sam's a vegetan." Matt informed them.

Mary looked over at Samantha, who smiled a bit. "Good for you, dear. I tried that for awhile but I had to give it up. Pizza okay?"

"Pizza's awesome." Samantha replied.

"Good, I didn't feel like cooking." Mary commented. "What do you like on it?"

"Honestly?" Samantha asked, grinning a bit. "Pineapple. But plain cheese is good, too."

Mary smiled delightedly. "I love pineapple, too! My boys always make fun of me for putting it on pizza. All right, then, I'll get one pineapple and one pepperoni."

Mary went to order the pizza and Matt turned on the TV, flipping around until he found a scary movie.

"Yay!" He said happily. "I love this one. Watch it with me, Sam?"

"Sure." Samantha said, sitting down next to him on the couch.

Mary came back into the living room. "They said it should be about two hours."

"Sam's gonna watch the movie with me, Mom." Matt informed her.

Mary looked at the screen and winced. "I think I'll pass, if you don't mind sitting with him, Sam?"

"No problem." Samantha agreed.

"I'll be in the back if you need me." Mary told them, heading out.

As the movie progressed, Matt crawled into Samantha's lap and rested his head on her shoulder. Samantha smiled, ruffling his hair a little before going back to watching the movie.

After about forty minutes or so, Matt had fallen asleep. Samantha grinned at him, then looked up as she heard someone opening the door.

"Hey, Terry." She greeted.

Terry blinked, looking surprised. "You're still here? My mom's not home yet?"

He sounded worried, so she nodded. "She's home. She invited me over for dinner, so we're waiting for the pizza guy to come."

"Oh." Terry replied, then noticed Matt in her lap. "I see the twip's gotten attached to you."

Samantha smiled. "He's cute. Sweet, too."

Terry laughed. "When he wants to be. I'm gonna go tell my mom I'm home, then I'll join you."

"'Kay." Samantha said, turning her attention back to the TV.

Later that night, after the pizza had come and gone and Samantha was getting ready to leave, she pulled Terry aside.

"Dana called." She told him softly.

Something in his eyes flickered. "What'd…"

"I told her you were still at work and that I was baby-sitting." Samantha interrupted.

"Thanks." He replied.

She nodded. "What are friends for?" She hesitated.

He frowned slightly. "What? Everything okay?"

She smiled, shrugging. "Fine. Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure." He agreed, looking at her suspiciously. "I'll pick you up."


	4. Chapter Four

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, but here's another chappy. I got more reviews! Whoot! Thanks to everyone who reviewed between last chapter and this one.

"I'm home, Bill!" Samantha called as she walked through the door. "We actually didn't get to work on the project that much. Terry had to go to his job partway through, so I offered to baby-sit his brother. His mom invited me over for dinner when she got home. Guess what? She likes pineapple pizza, too."

She looked around the apartment, but found it empty. Bill's bedroom door was closed, and she sighed. "Why do I bother?"

_Give it time. He'll snap out of it. _Arabus commented. _It was good of you to offer to baby-sit, though. And to cover for Terry. _

"What's your point, luv?" Samantha asked tiredly. He always had a point.

_How come you did it? _Arabus asked.

"Because he's my friend. You know how I am with friends, Ara. You annoy me about it all the time." Samantha replied.

Samantha didn't make friends very often, but when she did, she had a fierce, unwavering loyalty to them. It was because of this that she chose her friends carefully. She suspected it had something to do with her practice in the Art.

_You've never made friends quickly. _Arabus reminded her.

Samantha shrugged. "Terry's….Different. I can sense something about him. Second sight, or whatever. Though that was Mom's specialty."

_Are you sure? _Arabus pressed. _Sure it's not something more?_

"It's not anything more, Ara." Samantha told him tersely. "He's a friend. I can tell. And it's not just him. Max has it, too." She added, when she sensed his disbelief.

Arabus sighed mentally. _All right, Sammie. You go to sleep, then. You're still tired from last night. _

"Thank you ever so much for your permission." Samantha muttered sarcastically as she crawled under the covers.

Terry lie awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had been vaguely surprised that Samantha didn't put up a fuss to his leaving, and strangely happy with her reaction. Despite that, he felt guilty for sticking Samantha with Matt, even though she didn't seem to mind. He also felt bad for comparing her actions to Dana's, especially when he hadn't told Dana Samantha was coming over. He still wasn't sure why he hadn't told her. It wasn't like he and Samantha were doing anything. It was just….Well, he didn't know what it was just.

With a sigh, Terry tossed off the covers and slid out of bed. He wasn't at all tired, despite his rather rough time with a gang of Jokers that evening. He scrolled a note saying he was working and left it on his bed, in case his mother woke up and went in to check on him. He then pulled on his suit and quietly launched himself out the window.

He toured the city, stopping a few muggings and other petty crimes. When nothing else seemed to be happening, he stopped on the roof of a building and dialed Max's cell phone, figuring if she was still up, they could do some research. He got her answering machine, though, so he just hung up. He didn't bother leaving a message or calling the emergency line that was hooked into her computer, since this definitely wasn't an emergency and, if Max was actually getting some sleep, he wasn't about to wake her.

He was making another loop around the city when his communicator buzzed to life.

"McGinnis." Wayne commented. "You're out late."

"Couldn't sleep." He replied. "What's up?"

"I have a friend who's a reliable member of the Pagan network. She doesn't know much, but she can establish you amongst the others." Wayne told him. "If you're going to get any of them to talk to you, you need credibility. She won't vouch for you unless she meets you. Something about reading your aura."

"Okay." Batman muttered. Then, "You want me to go over there now?"

"She's nocturnal." Wayne replied simply, then gave him the address.

Batman sighed and switched his course. He swooped in over the small residential area and found the place. It was a small but nice house, completely normal looking. He walked up to the door, figuring it would be more polite to knock.

In a few moments, the door opened slowly and a middle-aged woman peered out. She had silvery blonde hair and light green eyes and was wearing jeans and a loose, flowing shirt.

"Uh, hi…" Batman started.

The woman wordlessly held the door open for him. He entered the house and she shut it behind him, locking the door. The inside of the house looked just as normal as the outside, and he began to wonder if he had the right place.

"Hello, Batman." The woman greeted. "I know why you are here."

She stepped closer to him, green eyes flicking over him at an incredibly rapid pace. "I'm Sabin. And you….are in love." She informed him, grinning now. "Murky waters ahead. Ooo, baby."

He stared at her.

She flashed him another grin. "Into the community you seek. I will do all I can. Most don't take to strangers. Burning times are still fresh in minds. Some quite literally." She then laughed, apparently amused.

"So….you can get them to talk to me?" He asked.

She laughed again. "My best, I will do." She looked him over. "Don't wear that."

She looked him over again, then nodded. "I will make the calls. Get back to you tomorrow. Kisses to Wayne."

Without further comment, she walked over to the door and unlocked it, then held it open. Still a bit confused, Batman walked out, thanking her as he did.

"Are they all going to be like that?" Batman asked when he was back in the air.

"Most of them." Wayne replied, amusement evident in his voice. "It's the normal ones that'll really freak you."

The next day, when school let out, Terry walked outside with Max and Samantha. Dana was ticked at him for some reason or another, probably because he wasn't able to go to the arcade with her after school.

"You need a ride, Sam?" He asked as they walked. "I have to get to work, but I can probably drop you off."

Samantha shook her head. "Nah. I'm covered. I'll see you two later." She gave Max a hug in farewell, then strolled off.

She probably could have used a ride, but Samantha had sensed that Terry really needed to get going. She wasn't too good with aura reading, but she could still get strong feelings. As long as they didn't have to do with her, for some reason.

As she was walking home, her mind picked up a heart-breakingly familiar signature and she stopped where she was.

_Zeus? _She asked silently.

Zeus was the puppy she had gotten for Christmas a few years back. They were incredibly devoted to each other, almost as close as she was with Arabus. She wasn't supposed to have pets in her new apartment, though, so she had had to leave him with her neighbors in California. It was too far out of her range for them to connect minds, so she called him nearly every day to tell him she loved him. Although he couldn't reply, he understood English and got the gist. Now, though, she was sensing him.

_Sam! _He called gleefully.

_What are you doing here, baby? _She questioned.

_I missed you. _He replied, a bit of "duh" in his tone.

Okay, so that was a stupid question. She admitted. How about this one: How did you get here? 

_I hid in the cargo of a plane. _He answered. _And now I'm here. _

_Stay there. _Samantha told him. _I'm coming to get you._

_Okay. _He agreed, followed by, _Ow! _

_What? _She demanded. _What happened? _

_I…I fell. _He answered, pain obvious in his mental signature. _I think I broke something. _

_Oh, Goddess….I'll be right there. _She said, picking up her pace to a full out run.

His path led her out by the ocean, then up a hill and right to the front gate of…Wayne Manor.

"Oh, Lordy." Samantha muttered. "Of all the places…" She gave a sigh, then pushed the call button. "Mr. Wayne?" She asked. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but there's a hurt dog in your front yard…I can see him through the fence. I'm not some loony, I swear." When he didn't answer, she pushed it again. "Please, Mr. Wayne, he's crying, and…I think he's my dog!" There was a long pause. Then she pushed it again, voice annoyed. "Fine. Be that way. I'm jumping over to help him, and if you call the cops on me I'm telling them I slipped through your fence 'cause I hurt myself in a fall and just wanted to use your phone."

She was halfway up the gate when it suddenly opened. She almost lost her balance, but managed to slide back down and slip through the fence. She ran to her dog, who was a fairly large black lab and Dalmatian mix. His left foreleg was lying limp at his side.

"It's okay, sweetie, I'm here." She crooned quietly, stroking him.

She had taken some classes in veterinary medicine, so she did a brief pre-lim to make sure it was okay to move him. His head was also a bit tender, and she didn't want to move him too far, but she figured it would be in his best interest to take him to a vet. Worried, she began pondering a way to do so without hurting him further.

Barking distracted her, though, and she opened her mind. _Hello? _

_Intruder! _The dog replied.

_I'm not! _Samantha protested. _My baby was hurt. I just want to help him. _

The dog paused. _Hurt?_

_Yes. _Samantha replied. _He was crying. I'm not here to do anything wrong. What's your name, sugar?_

_Ace. _The dog replied. _And I'm watching you._

_Read my thoughts. _Samantha told him. _You'll see my intentions. _She sent them out, feeling the dog pick up on them.

Ace was stronger than she realized, for he picked up some of her memories as well. She wasn't sure which ones, but they must have been good, for he relaxed.

_Okay. _Ace said. _I believe you. _

He appeared, then, a large black Great Dane. Behind him was Bruce Wayne.

Samantha stood. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne…I didn't mean to make you come out."

"Is he okay?" Wayne asked, looking at Zeus.

"He should be." Samantha answered, looking tenderly at him. "Once I get him to a vet. I don't think it's very safe to move him too far, though."

Wayne considered, then nodded. "We'll bring him up to the house. Ace's vet makes house calls."

Samantha's eyes lit up. "Thank you…If it was anyone else hurt, I wouldn't even think of imposing, but…"

"I understand." Wayne replied. "What's his name?"

"Zeus." She said. "I assume that's Ace?"

Wayne nodded and she smiled. "He's beautiful."

Ace let out a bark of agreement and Wayne smiled ever so slightly. He bent over to pick up Zeus.

"I can do that." Samantha interjected, then blushed. "Umm, not that I think you don't know how to handle dogs. I mean, obviously, you've got Ace. It's just…I want him to know I'm here."

He blinked at her, and she detected surprise at her objection. Not that she objected, but surprise at the reason for it. She didn't get anymore than that, though, and he stepped aside to let her gently scoop up her dog. They headed back to the house, slowly and carefully so as not to hurt Zeus. When they got him inside, Wayne told her she could put him on the couch and went to go call the vet.

When he returned, Samantha was leaning over her dog, tenderly stroking his side. "It's gonna be okay, baby." She murmured softly.

He cleared his throat, then told her, "The vet is on the way."

"Thank you." She told him. "So much."

He nodded and sat down in one of the chairs. She perched on the end of the couch her dog was on, which happened to be the end closest to Wayne's chair. Ace lifted his head to look at her and she reached out to pet him. Wayne opened his mouth to warn her, then closed it as Ace calmly sat there and let her tousle his ears.

He blinked at her. "You must have a way with dogs."

She smiled slightly. "I love them."

"I can see that." He commented. "Not many people would jump over a fence at the threat of the cops for their dog."

"Well, they're not very good people, then." She then paused, and colored, looking down. "I'm sorry…I'm being rude. My name is Samantha Redbone."

"Native American?" He asked. "Which tribe?"

"Cheysuli." She replied, a note of pride in her voice.

"Ahh." He said, leaning back. "Animal worshippers. No wonder you have an affinity with dogs."

She smiled a bit. "That's what my mother said."

They sat in companionable silence while they waited for the vet. Not that her dog wasn't in immediate danger, Samantha seemed to have fallen back into her shyness. The vet arrived soon after that and looked over Zeus while Samantha hovered worriedly around. The vet put his leg in a cast and bandaged his head, informing them the leg was broken and he had a concussion, so it would be best not to move him too much for the next few weeks.

"I suppose he'll just have to stay here." Wayne said. "If that's all right with you."

In response, Samantha promptly hugged him. His eyes widened in surprise and he patted her shoulder awkwardly.

"Thank you." She told him, releasing him. She then turned to the vet. "How much do I owe you?"

The vet shook her head. "It's on me, sweetie." She replied.

Samantha hugged her, too, feeling vaguely over-whelmed. When the vet left, Samantha slid down on the couch next to Zeus. "I think I have to revise my opinion that people suck." She commented absently.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Another happy chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed!

"Thanks for coming with, Max." Terry told her as he handed her the spare helmet.

"No prob, Ter." She replied, putting on the helmet and getting on the motorcycle behind him. "Always up for being involved. Speaking of which…You do remember you're dating Dana, right?"

Terry put on his own helmet and started up the cycle. "Of course. What'd you bring that up for?"

"No reason." She said. "You have been hanging with Sammie a lot lately."

"Sammie?" He asked. "Since when is it Sammie?"

"Her uber-cool friends get to call her that." She teased. "And don't dodge the question. Or lie. You know you're not good at lying to me."

Terry was silent as the turned a corner. "I dunno, Max. Sam's awesome. And she's so understanding…Every time I have to bail on her, she's so cool about it. I can't help but compare her to Dana."

Max shook her head. "You're starting down a road that you won't be able to get off, Ter. I think you need to talk to Dana."

"And tell her what?" Terry demanded. "Sorry I can't hang out with you more, but I'm Batman?"

Max shoved him slightly. "Don't be stupid. But you should tell her….Something."

Terry shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Look, can we drop it? We're almost there, anyway."

"All right." Max agreed. "But don't expect me to be done with this."

Terry turned down a residential street and slowed, checking house addresses with the one Wayne had given him.

"There it is." Max told him, pointing.

Terry parked the motorcycle in front of the house and the two slid off.

"Here goes nothing." Terry commented as they walked up and rang the doorbell.

There was a pause, then the door opened and a woman who looked to be in her late twenties peered out at them. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and was rather unremarkable.

"Yes?" She asked in a soft, melodious voice.

"I'm Terry." He told her. "This is Max. Uh, we were refer…"

"Sabin." She interrupted with a nod. "Come in." She held the door open for them.

They entered, looking around the house. They were in what looked like a living room, as it had a couch, a love-seat, a blue armchair, a coffee table, and a huge wooden housing for an entertainment system. Instead of a TV, stereo, or gaming systems, however, there were large crystals of all shapes and colors set in it. More crystals were scattered around the room.

Terry and Max exchanged glances as a male voice called, "Is it them, hon?"

A tall, handsome man entered the room. He had blond hair and crystal blue eyes, along with the most perfect tan possible. He was muscular, had a killer smile, and was, without a doubt, an absolute hunk. As noted by Max, who murmured that into Terry's ear.

"Yes." The woman replied, then turned to Terry and Max. "Please, sit. I'm Andrea, and this is my husband Warren."

Terry and Max obeyed, and they spent about two unnerving hours talking to the couple. Andrea and Warren continually took breaks in the conversation to consult with their crystals, and halfway through the little meeting, Warren took a pear-shaped green crystal into his lap and started stroking it like a pet. Terry and Max looked at each other uneasily when the crystal glowed softly after every pet.

Finally, the four bid each other farewell and Max and Terry gratefully left the house. They hadn't gotten much, just that Andrea was the more powerful of the two and she didn't sense any big evils coming in, which more or less ruled out the possibility that Ferinus was out to get them. Andrea kept fairly good tabs on the newcomers to the city, and couldn't find any that had the power Ferinus would have had to have. Then she and Warren started talking with their crystals again in hushed tones about Guardians and was Gotham due to have one? They wouldn't elaborate, though, so Max and Terry figured that was a good time to head out.

"I'll start looking up any info about Pagan 'Guardians.'" Max told him as he dropped her off at her house.

"Great." Terry said. "Oh, hey, Wayne's having a business party tomorrow night that I have to go to and Dana is apparently busy. Wanna tag along and keep me company?"

Max considered. "Tomorrow night? Oh, I can't. My mom's actually taking me shopping."

"Yeah?" Terry asked with a smile. "That's great. I'll see you tomorrow, Max."

"Later, Ter." Max called, waving as he drove off.

Terry headed home, vaguely grumpy about the fact that he'd have to spend another boring business party with no one there his age. He ran into Samantha at the elevator and smiled. "Hey Sam."

She turned, a big grin on her face. "Hiya Ter."

"What's with the big smile?" He asked as he pushed the button for their floor.

She told him about Zeus and Wayne letting him stay there.

"How'd your dog get here?" Terry asked. "I thought he was in California with your neighbor."

"He was." She replied. "Guess he missed me or something. I'm still not sure how he got here."

"Well, it's good that he's okay." Terry commented. "So, you met Wayne, huh?"

"Yup." Samantha replied. "You never told me how nice he was."

"Only to dogs." Terry joked, then found himself saying, "Hey, he's having this business party tomorrow night that I'm gonna be bored stiff at. You wanna come so there'll be someone else there my age?"

Samantha blinked at him. "Shouldn't you ask Dana?"

"I did." Terry replied. "She's busy. Told me to get Max or you to go with me."

"Oh." Samantha thought for a moment. "Then, sure." She paused. "Wait…will I have to get dressed up?"

"Yup." Terry told her gleefully.

Samantha winced. "I changed my mind."

"Can't, now." Terry replied. "Too late, you already said you'd go."

Samantha stuck her tongue out at him. "What time is it?"

"Six." Terry told her. "Be ready by five, okay?"

"So I hear you're going with Terry tonight." Dana commented as she sat down next to Samantha.

Samantha nodded. "He was bummed you couldn't go."

"Yeah?" Dana asked, grinning. She then looked guilty. "Don't think I'm a bad person or anything…But it kinda feels good, you know, putting him in my shoes?"

"I don't." Samantha replied. "Think you're a bad person."

"It's just, Terry's always gone. I never get to see him anymore." Dana explained. "I know it sounds selfish, but it's like he likes his job more than me."

"I don't think that's it, Dana." Samantha told her. "Terry really likes you."

Dana sighed. "I really like him, too….And I can understand. To a point. But you know, a girl's gotta have her limits, right? I can't just let him walk all over me. I mean, sometimes, we're on a date, and he doesn't even say good-bye. He just vanishes."

Samantha frowned slightly. "You're right. That's just not right….Terry's a friend, and I sympathize with him, but you don't just disappear during a date. You want me to maybe talk to him?"

Dana shook her head. "I should probably do it…But, if the subject comes up…"

Samantha smiled. "No problem."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Here's another chapter…Just like to comment that I don't own Diana Tregarde or the Guardians. Just borrowing them from Mercedes Lackey, who is an awesome writer. And…that's it. Thanks to all who reviewed!

Later that night, as Samantha dressed for the party, she contemplated when and what she wanted to tell Terry. She could tell Dana was at her wit's end, and she knew Terry wouldn't want to lose Dana, so it would be best to talk to him. Samantha wanted him to be happy, for some odd reason. She did want to enjoy herself that night, though, so with a vaguely guilty feeling she decided to bring it up first thing in the morning.

The doorbell rang, then, so she dashed over to answer it. Terry stood there, taking in her appearance with wide eyes. The top of her dark green dress supported her chest in the front, then dipped down slightly low in the back. It hugged her muscular stomach, showing that while she wasn't thin, she was still in shape. Her shoulders were bare save for the thin straps made of glittering diamond-look-alikes that held up the dress. Said shoulders were slightly too broad for truly feminine beauty, but seemed to fit her. The hem of the dress was smooth and sleek and fell down to her ankles. It was slightly ruffled, enabling her to walk in it. Her shoes were green sandals that tied around her legs in ballet-slipper fashion. Her long, thick hair was half curled, with the top part piled on her head and the bottom left loose to drape around her shoulders. Completing the outfit were green ballroom gloves that went up to her elbow and a silver Celtic cross dangled from a black chain around her neck.

"This dressed up enough?" She asked softly, looking him over with her own eyes. "Wow. You look good."

He colored slightly in his tux and looked away. "Thanks. You, too."

"I don't have to attempt to ride the motorcycle in this, do I?" Samantha teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Terry laughed. "No. We've got the limo."

"Oooo." Samantha commented. "Yay us. Ready, then?"

She picked up a small green purse with a diamond strap, slipped it over her shoulder, and locked the door behind her. She followed him down to the limo, putting her keys into the purse. "So what's this party for?"

Terry shrugged. "How should I know? Some stupid management thing or another. At least they'll have good food. And the music isn't too bad, either."

Samantha nodded. "Oh, hey, is there gonna be dancing?"

"Most likely." Terry replied. "Always is. I usually don't dance, though."

"Tonight, you are." Samantha informed him. "I love dancing, and you made me get dressed up, so you're gonna pay."

Terry laughed, mock wincing. "Oh, no, please. Anything but that."

Samantha crossed her arms. "Nope. I'm sorry, but I have spoken."

Terry laughed again and Samantha smiled, then leaned over him to root through the mini-fridge. Terry breathed in slightly, inhaling her perfume before he could help himself. She smelled vaguely like sunflowers and he smiled, thinking it fit her. He then shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

"You okay?" Samantha asked, leaning back.

"Yeah." He replied, looking away.

Samantha frowned at him, then shrugged. "So are we picking up Mr. Wayne?"

"No." Terry told her. "We're meeting him there."

"Shway." She commented. "Hey, are there gonna be meatless dishes there?"

Terry nodded. "Yup. I checked." He had remembered Samantha was a vegetarian and had made sure there would be some suitable food.

She smiled at him. "Oh. That was nice. Thanks."

"No prob." He glanced out the window. "Oh, hey, we're here."

The limo pulled up to a tall building and the two teenagers got out. Wayne was waiting for them in the front.

"Hello, Samantha." He greeted. "You look lovely."

She colored. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne. You don't look too bad yourself."

He held his arm out to her. "Can I offer you an escort into the room?"

She grinned and slipped her arm through his. "I'd be delighted."

Wayne flashed Terry a bit of a grin as they walked through the doors and Terry smirked back at him.

When they reached the floor that the party was on, Terry muttered quietly, "I thought you weren't a ladies' man."

"I was the most eligible bachelor back in my day." Wayne retorted. He glanced over at Samantha. "I have to go mingle, I'm afraid, but would you do me the pleasure of saving me a dance?"

She smiled. "Of course. Come claim it whenever you're free."

"I will." Wayne commented. "Don't have too much fun, McGinnis." He called as he left.

Samantha laughed and glanced at Terry. "He must be so much fun to work for."

Terry laughed out of sheer amazement, then sobered. "Oh, yes. Fun. Right."

Samantha laughed again, then started for the food table. "I am so starved."

"I agree with you there." Terry said, following her over.

The two ate and talked for awhile, then, as Samantha finished up a slice of pineapple, a fast but old song started playing.

"Oh!" Samantha commented. "I love this song. Come on, we have to dance."

She snagged his hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor. He laughed and trailed after her, cheerfully dancing though he had never heard the song before. They had danced through at least six more songs when a soft, slow one came on.

Samantha glanced at him, a silent question in her eyes. Without even thinking about it, he took her hands and pulled her in close. She leaned against him as they danced, for some reason, happy.

_I feel safe here. _She realized. _It's been a long time since I felt like that. Actually… I don't think I've ever felt like this. _

She felt really felt safe with only one person, her fellow Guardian, Diana Tregarde. But with Terry…

Terry was enjoying himself as well. He hadn't known Samantha as long as he had Dana, but he somehow felt more comfortable with her than he did with his own girlfriend. In fact, thoughts of Dana were so far from his mind right now that all he wanted to do was lean down and kiss Samantha.

And he might have done it, too, if the song hadn't ended then and Wayne hadn't chosen that moment to come ask for a dance.

The song was a waltz, and as Terry watched Wayne and Samantha dance with more expertise than he had expected, he felt rather disappointed the moment had been ruined. And then he remembered himself and was grateful to the old man. His quiet thoughts were interrupted, though, when the elevator that had just arrived on their floor blew up. The rest of the elevators exploded soon after, causing a more or less mass panic among the party guests. Terry used this opportunity to disappear into the crowd. He ran out to the fire escape and climbed quickly down.

Inside the room, a group of masked men appeared out of the smoke.

"Stay behind me!" Wayne shouted to Samantha over the screams, stepping in front of her.

Biting her lip and looking terrified, Samantha nodded. Then, when his attention was focused away, her hands moved along her body and she silently spoke a spell. When she was done, she ran off and a mirror image of her remained there. Ducking behind a column, Samantha pulled her black choker out of her purse and slipped it on, becoming Ferinus.

Batman soared through one of the windows as she ran out into the crowds of people. He dove right into a group of the masked men, fighting them off easily. Rather than waste energy on spells, Ferinus jumped in as well, making use of martial arts. She kicked a man about to jump on Batman's back and he looked up at her.

"Ferinus!" He said.

She smiled at him. "So you do remember me! Well, now I feel special."

She back flipped off into a trio of the party crashers, utterly fearless in her guise. After taking them out, she glanced over at Batman and saw his features etched in horror. She followed his gaze and noticed Wayne and her clone had gotten separated. One of the masked men had gotten smart and was using the grenades that had blown up the elevators as weapons. A particular explosion had caused a huge slab of concrete to head right for the Samantha-clone.

"Amani lomien camara." Ferinus called, reciting the spell to call back her hologram.

The fake Samantha disappeared and Batman, who had been speeding for her, stopped short.

"What did you do to her?" He demanded, glaring venomously at Ferinus.

"Nothing!" She shouted, glaring back at him. "I moved her to the roof. Chill, luv, I'm on your side."

He calmed slightly, but still shot her a suspicious gaze. It didn't stop her from fighting alongside him, though, and he had to admit she was good. Not as good as him, but still good.

When all of the masked men were in varying stages of unconciousness, Batman turned to Ferinus.

"Why are you here?" He asked. "And what's with the love?"

"Same reason you are." She replied. "I just want to help people. And maybe I'm British. 'Sides, always had a crush on you." She winked at him, then took a running leap out the window.

He followed her, ready to demand more answers, but stopped when he ran into Wayne.

"Wait." Wayne told him. "Going after her isn't likely to do anything good."

Reluctantly, Batman backed off.

"Good." Wayne commented. "Now go get changed."

Batman flew out the window he had come in and started to head up the roof, then paused. For some strange reason, he wanted it to be Terry who went up to Samantha. So he changed quickly back into his tux, then climbed the fire escape to the roof.

"Sam?" He called.

"Terry?" He heard her reply, just before she came into view. "Oh, thank goodness. The stupid door's stuck and I could not figure out how to get down. Are you okay?"

She jogged over to him, looking over him for injuries.

"I'm fine." He told her. "What about you? Batman said that weird chick put you up here."

"Ferinus." She agreed. "She's some sort of super-hero, or something."

"Did she hurt you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Naw. I mean, without her I would have definitely been a pancake."

"All right, then." He shrugged out of his tux jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Come on, let's go back downstairs."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: One more chapter to add to the mix…Not too many left, I think. I'll be ending this soon.

Terry and Samantha walked down the hall to their apartments later that night. The police had come to arrest the men and had taken statements from everyone there before they were allowed to leave. Before they reached Samantha's door, Terry stopped, wanting to ask her something.

"Sam?" He asked. "I know this is gonna sound kinda out of no where, but…"

"What?" She questioned.

He shrugged. "Look, how come you never get down on me for bailing on you? Not that I'm complaining, it's just…You never get mad, or anything. Why?"

She thought for a moment. "You said you wanted to be my friend, Ter. That's what it means. I guess I just believe in you…You can ask my…" She hesitated, then said, "Bill. He always said I'm kinda stupidly loyal to the people I trust."

"You trust me?" Terry asked, vaguely surprised.

"Yeah." Samantha said quietly. "You could say I'm a good judge in character."

"Hmm." Terry said absently, obviously thinking about something. Then, he shook his head slightly and remembered her previous hesitation. Thinking she had been about to refer to her parents, he asked, "What happened to your parents?"

She looked startled, then glanced away. "They…died. My father when I was little, and my mother a year ago. Cancer."

"Oh." He said lamely. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Don't be. Wasn't your fault. You'd think, though, after all the chemo and radiation…" She trailed off. "Sorry."

"Hey." He said, taking her hand and pulling her closer. "You should never apologize for talking about things like that. Not to people who care about you. If I had done that when my father was murdered…"

"Oh my gosh…I'm sorry." She said automatically, then clasped her hand over her mouth.

He grinned at her. "Not so easy, is it?"

She let out a muffled chuckle and lowered her hand. "Nope. I guess we're both sorry for stupid things, then."

"Yup." He agreed, then gave her a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She watched him walked off, then ducked into her apartment and locked the door behind her. Only when she heading for bed did she realize she his jacket was still over her shoulders. She lifted it and slid her arms into the sleeves, then peered at her reflection in the front hall mirror. She smiled slightly when she saw how big it was on her and hugged it close, almost unconciouslessly. Before she could contemplate her actions, though, she heard the phone ringing. She trotted to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone.

"Hey, Sammie." A familiar voice greeted.

"Di!" Samantha said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Just calling to tell you I'm making a visit to Gotham." Diana informed her.

"Shway." Samantha commented, then paused. "Business?"

"Mmm…yes and no." Diana replied. "Main reason is Morrie got me to agree to a signing there. But, also a friend heard I was coming to town and asked to chat with me. Wanted some info about the non-writing aspect of my life."

"And you wanted me to tag along?" Samantha asked.

"If it's not too much trouble." Diana said.

Samantha smiled. "'Course not. Always happy to help. When are you getting in?"

"A week from now. I'm staying at Gotham Inn." Diana replied.

Samantha snorted. "You so are not. You're staying here. We have a happy guest room now."

"What about Bill?" Diana asked.

"Bill won't care. He's never here, anyway." Samantha told her.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" Diana asked, sounding grateful.

"Not lately." Samantha teased. "Want me to meet you at the airport?"

"If you would." Diana agreed.

The two chatted about mundane things for a bit, and Samantha mentioned the party.

"Ooo. Are we heading towards boyfriend-dom?" Diana teased.

Samantha stuck out her tongue before she remembered Diana couldn't see it. "No. Terry has a girlfriend. We're just friends."

"You still have to elaborate." Diana informed her.

Samantha grinned and told her about the dancing, both with Terry and Wayne. Then she explained about the incident, including her actions as Ferinus. Diana was the only one who knew who she was.

"So you actually got to meet Batman?" Diana asked. "And fight alongside him?"

"I know." She agreed. "Exciting, huh?" She yawned. "I am so slagged. I'm going to head to bed. Night, Di."

"Night, luv." Diana said, hanging up the phone.

The next morning, Terry opened his door and found Samantha walking towards him, holding his tux jacket.

"You left this." She informed him, holding it out. "Thanks for the warmth, by the way."

"No problem." He said, hanging the jacket on a coat rack and closing the door. "What'd you think of last night?"

"Well, now that the whole life in danger thing is gone, it was kind of a blast." She admitted. "Probably the most excitement I'll have all year."

"Not living in Gotham." He told her. "Get ready for a whole lot more of the same."

She kept putting off talking with him, telling herself she'd do it in another five minutes, until they had arrived at school and the bell for first period sounded. As she walked to her Zoology class, she mentally berated herself, feeling incredibly guilty.

_Just a friend? _Arabus asked her.

_Stop it. _She told him. _This has nothing to do with that. _

_Really? Is that why you slept in his jacket last night? _He retorted.

She blushed, then sighed. _I don't want to talk about it, luv, okay? Not…not right now. _

She could feel his disapproval, but he didn't push the issue. Fortunately, Dana didn't bring up the conversation she was supposed to have had with Terry, and the rest of the day went by smoothly. When she got home, she dug through the stack of papers in the living room to find the comics.

Instead, however, she saw her picture on the front page. She picked up the paper and quickly read the article. It talked about Batman's new helper, but the tone of the piece was more than a little mistrusting. Gotham News, on the other hand, which was another paper Bill read, seemed to enjoy her presence. Maybe the difference had to do with the fact that the author of the Gotham News article was a woman.

Samantha sighed and dropped the paper on the coffee table then curled up in the armchair.

"Maybe I should tell Terry about me." She thought out loud.

_Why? _Arabus asked.

She shrugged. "I know I can trust him, but he doesn't have any little cheats to know he can trust me. Maybe that would help."

_So now you're giving away secrets just so he'll trust you? _The wolf asked.

She frowned. "Why are you being so harsh?"

Arabus hesitated. _He has a girlfriend, Sammie. This will only lead in trouble and…I don't want you to be hurt. _

Samantha glanced down. "I know, Ara…Why am I doing this?"

_Maybe you love him. _Arabus suggested quietly.

Samantha let out a startled burst of laughter, then shook her head. "I don't think that's it."

The doorbell rang, then, so her wolf fell silent. She stood up and padded over to answer it, thoroughly pleased when she saw it was Terry.

"Hey Ter!" She greeted.

"Hey." He returned. "You busy? I thought we could go over our lines a bit."

"Sure." She agreed. "Come on in."

He followed her to the living room and plopped down on the couch.

"Bill's not home." She told him. "So we're free to act to our heart's content."

"It doesn't seem like your stepfather's home much." Terry commented.

"He's not." Samantha answered. "And, well, he's not really my stepfather. He was my mother's fiancé, but they never got married. When she died, he became my legal guardian."

"You don't sound too thrilled." He observed.

Samantha shrugged, attempting to sound light. "Bill used to be really sweet…He was the best. My dad died when I was five, so I never really knew him. But Bill was awesome. I so wanted him to be a substitute. And he was all for it. Took me everywhere."

"What happened?" Terry questioned.

"My mom died." She replied. "At first he was great, but then…I figured, okay, he was there for me when I grieved, and now it's his turn. But then he just…never stopped."

Terry put his hand on her shoulder. "That must be tough."

"Yeah. He really loved my mom." She said absently, staring off into the distance. Then, she smiled at him. "Hey, thanks for listening. I'd apologize for the sadness, but we've already been through that, haven't we?"

He grinned a bit. "Once is enough."

She nodded. "So, wanna start with the first scene?"

"Got my lines right here." Terry informed her.

She grinned and picked hers up off of the coffee table. "Go ahead, then."

"Anya." Terry told her. "I need to talk to you."

"What about, Richard?" Samantha asked.

"Us." He replied.

She looked up at him, hopeful. "There's an us?"

"I'd like there to be." Terry answered, looking down at his lines.

A smile broke out over her face. "You don't know how long I…" She paused. "I…Oh, Richard…." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't."

"What?" He asked, sounding surprised and depressed. "Why not?"

"You know why." She told him.

"John?" He ventured. "You said there was nothing between you two."

"There isn't!" She said immediately. Then, "Wasn't…."

"You said that there might have been, but now there wasn't." He continued.

"I just can't do it, Richard, okay?" She demanded.

He frowned, looking angry. "So everything we did means nothing? All of the conversations, what we've been through…..Nothing?"

She looked away. "I…I don't want anyone to get hurt, Richard."

"It's too late for that." He told her viciously. He then softened. "I love you, Anya. Can't you see that?"

She looked at him for a moment, then swallowed hard and turned away. "Just go, Richie. We have nothing left to say."

He stared at her for a moment. Then, "I guess I was wrong to believe in you, Anya. You're not the person I thought you were."

Samantha turned back, smiling. "Ooo! That was good!"

"Yeah." He agreed. "I almost believed us. And I only had to look at the script a couple of times."

"Me, too." She said, looking pleased. "Okay, now I'm hungry. Want something?"

"Always up for food." He replied.

She fished around in the kitchen and found leftover pasta, which she heated up. The two ate, talking about random things until Samantha sighed.

"What's up, Sammie?" Terry asked, using her more intimate nickname without even being aware of it.

"Look….Terry, you're probably the best friend I've got here. So anything I'm going to say is purely in your best interest, okay?" She told him. "I just want you to be happy."

He frowned, looking even more sober. "What is it?"

"I talked with Dana the other day." She started. "She's really upset, Ter. You never spend any time with her…And, before you get started, I know you have your job. I know she's over-reacting, but you know what? She kinda has a point. It's one thing to be loyal to your work, but it's another to leave in the middle of a date without so much as a good-bye. That's not shway, Ter, and you know it. And I know that's not who you are. I'm not saying you need to give up your work to be with her. And I'm not saying you need to compromise yourself by trying to spend as much time with her as you used to. Your job is part of who you are now, and if she wants to be with you, she's going to have to live with it. But you owe her a good-bye, Ter. At least give her that."

Aside from his initial protest, Terry had remained silent thorough-out her whole speech. Finally, he nodded. "You….you might be right. I got so caught up I didn't realize…I can't give up work."

"You shouldn't have to." She told him quietly.

He nodded absently. "But she shouldn't have to put up with a vanishing act. I'll talk to her. It's past time we talked. If she can't adjust to my new life…"

"I'll still be here." Samantha said.

He glanced up and they looked at each other for a long moment. Then, he smiled. "Thank you."

"Any time, Ter. See you tomorrow?" She asked.

"You bet." He replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: One more chapter down. twirl Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

The next day, after school, Samantha went to the arcade with Terry, Max, and Dana. They had barely gotten there when Terry pulled Dana aside.

"Look, Dana, we need to talk." He told her.

She stiffened slightly. "Yeah, we do."

"I want to apologize." He said. "It wasn't fair for me to expect you to make the transition from no work to work so easily. And I haven't always treated you as well as you deserved. I know I've done the vanishing act a few times, and it just wasn't right."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, Terry…Just the apology makes it a little better."

"That's not it, though." He went on. "You are going to have to make the transition. I can't always be around now, Dana. And being with me means having to put up with that."

She nodded. "I understand. And I can do it…As long as I know I'm not just wasting my time."

He kissed her, then, and they walked back to Samantha and Max. Terry went to go grab them a pizza and Dana flung her arms around Samantha.

"I don't know what you said to him, girl, but it worked." She told her. "Thank you so much."

Before long, though, Terry came back with an irritated expression.

"Sorry, girls." He said. "Wayne beckons."

Dana glared at him. "What about the talk we just had, Ter? I thought it was going to change."

"Dana, I told you you had to adjust…" Terry started.

Dana shook her head. "And I said I would. But you said you were going to try, Terry, and you still aren't."

He sighed. "I'll call him and see if it can wait."

"Don't you think you're over-reacting?" Samantha asked when Terry walked off.

"No." Dana replied firmly. "After his big speech about not treating me right, he still goes off and leaves. I need to make sure he's not all talk."

"It's not that easy, Dana." Max told her.

"It's a job." Samantha agreed. "You can't just snap your fingers and get out of it. You have to get that."

Max peered at Samantha, looking vaguely surprised.

Terry came back before she could say anything, though. "Dana…"

Dana waved her hand. "I don't want to hear it, Terry. Have a nice life, okay? Maybe you'll find something who can deal with all talk and no walk."

She stormed off and Terry gazed hopelessly after her. Finally, he glanced at Samantha and Max. "I…have to go."

Samantha gave him a hug. "I'm calling you tonight."

Max caught up with him as he walked off. "Does Sam know about you?"

"No." He replied. "Why?"

"You should have heard her defend you back there." Max said.

He glanced behind him. "I did." He said softly.

Samantha sat across the table from Bill, munching on a slice of pizza. "I like it when I'm too lazy to cook." She informed him.

"Pizza's good." He agreed, then stood up and slipped into his jacket.

"You going to work?" She asked.

He nodded, then headed out the door. Samantha sat in silence, chewing contentedly. At least she had gotten some kind of response. She heard the doorbell rang, so she dropped her pizza back onto her plate and went to answer it. She was surprised to find Mary McGinnis there.

"Hi, Mary." She greeted.

"Hello, dear." Mary said, looking flustered. "Is Terry here with you?"

Samantha frowned. "No. I haven't seen him since the arcade. Why?"

"Well, it's just, he didn't come home after work." May replied. "I phoned Mr. Wayne, and he said Terry was on his way home. That was over an hour ago."

Samantha's frown deepened. "I'm sure he's fine…Maybe he stopped to talk to Dana. They had a fight, you know."

Mary shook her head. "I phoned Dana, and Max as well. Neither of them have seen him."

Samantha fidgeted. "I was gonna head out, anyway…So I'll check around at all the places he likes to hang out, okay?"

Mary looked relieved. "Thank you. Do you have our number?"

"Yeah." Samantha grabbed her black trench coat from the coat rack by the door and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. "Let me give you my cell so you can call me in case he comes home."

Mary took the number gratefully. "Thank you again, Sam."

"No problem." Samantha told her. "I'll call you when I find him."

Samantha took the elevator down the stairs, then started walking towards Wayne Manor. That was the last place Terry was supposed to have been, so maybe she could track him from there. She was a bit worried about Terry…Dana breaking up with him seemed to seriously depress him. Samantha didn't want anything to happen to him.

_Ara? _She asked. _I need your help._

_You always need my help. _He replied. _I'll meet you outside the gates, liren. _

Samantha smiled. His usage of the Cheysuli word for their relationship meant he felt bad for being harsh with her about her feelings for Terry.

_I don't feel bad. _He interrupted. _I just decided he might be good for you. You need to socialize. _

_Not this again. _She said with a mental sigh. _Terry likes Dana. It's obvious. _

_Terry isn't with Dana. _He reminded her.

"Shush." She thought aloud, earning her a strange stare from a fellow pedestrian. "Bill…" She muttered under her breath. "I really need a car."

She held her trench coat closed to prevent it from flapping open as she picked up her pace to a run. When she finally made it to Wayne Manor, her wolf was waiting for her. She stood for a few minutes, panting, then took a deep breath.

"Okay." She commented. "Let's start this."

She dropped the mental shields that kept her from hearing every animal's absent thoughts. Immediately, voices crowded her mind.

"Quiet, please!" She begged, aloud as well as mentally. "I need you."

The voices slowly silenced and she continued. "Has anyone seen him?" She focused on Terry, remembering to view him from all senses so the surrounding animals would understand.

_We have. _A sparrow called.

Samantha made her way over to them. "Where did he go?"

_Straight down the road. _The sparrow replied. _Then he turned. _

"Thank you." Samantha told the sparrows, then went down the road.

Once there, she repeated the process. Everywhere she went, at least one animal had noticed Terry walking. The trail led her back into town, and towards their apartment complex. Then it suddenly veered off into the seedier parts of Gotham. Somewhere between the movie complex and a few restaurants, the path was lost. No more animals had seen him.

Samantha sighed as she sat down on the curb.

_Now what? _Arabus asked from where he was hiding in the shadows of a nearby alley.

_I think Sam's done all she can. _Samantha replied, standing up and joining him.

She pulled her black choker out of one of her pockets and slipped it around her neck. Ferinus smiled. "And now it's my turn."

She swung herself up onto the fire escape, nimbly climbing up to the roof. Arabus followed, carefully placing paw after paw onto the ladder rungs.

"I could make his footprints light up." Ferinus commented absently. "Or we could try to catch his scent."

_Or, we could head to the place that seems to have started smoking. _Arabus told her, looking at a building off in the distance. _The one with a rather large fight going on._

"But Terry…" She protested.

_Could be chowing down somewhere. Or he could be there. Thought of that? Besides, you're a Guardian. _

"I know." She sighed. "Let's go."

They made their way over to the building and quietly snuck in. Inside were a whole bunch of men wearing masks that looked identical to the ones worn by the party crashers a few nights ago. In addition to them, however, were smoky black creatures that looked like human shadows, but Ferinus knew to be demons. Fighting amongst the men and demons was Batman. His arms were chained behind his back, and the remains of chains a few feet away from him said his legs had probably once had the same treatment. Regardless of his handicap, he was fighting well, and seemed to be winning, for the moment.

"Let's go." Ferinus told the wolf.

Arabus immediately jumped out of the shadows, snarling, and pounced on two of the men. Ferinus hesitated for a moment, creeping silently to a position behind Batman. She then darted out to his side.

"Hiya Batman." She greeted, grabbing the chain with one hand.

He frowned as she tugged him closer by the chains. "You helping me or them?" He demanded.

"Helping you, luv." She replied. "Kamara."

Fire leapt around her hand, causing the chain link she was holding to melt.

"There you go." She informed him.

"Thanks." He said, then promptly shoved her down.

"Hey!" She protested, then silenced when she saw a demon go sailing over their heads. "Oh. Thank you."

They separated and took out the rest of the men and demons together.

"What are these things?" Batman muttered to himself, forgetting she was there for a moment.

"Liconous demons." She told him. "Not very powerful. But there're a lot of them."

He stood from where he had knelt by one of the bodies, looking at her. "How do you know about them?"

"I know lots of things. Or haven't you noticed?" She joked.

"Why…how are you here?" He demanded.

"I was looking for someone else. Kid that's gone missing. His mother was worried." She replied. "Ara saw the building, and here we are."

"Ara? That's your wolf?" He asked.

"Arabus. Ara for short." She answered.

He frowned for a moment. "At the party…"

"The crush thing?" She asked cheerfully. "Not really true. At least, not for awhile. Or the luv thing? Been hanging around a friend too much for that."

"No." He said. "The you helping people thing. Who are you? And what do you want?"

She considered. "What do I want? Right now, a nice hot bath. Discussions later, luv. I don't know if I can trust you yet. I don't see you so eager to tell me your secrets." She waved. "We are going."

Ferinus and her wolf ducked out of the door that he hadn't realized they had been edging to. He cursed and followed them out, but they were no where to be seen.

"You get all that?" He asked.

"Yes." Wayne replied. "They're not there?"

"Nope. Take a look for yourself." Batman shot his gaze around. "Maybe she's got an invisible spell or something."

"Maybe." Wayne said noncommittally. "You better get home. Your mother's worried sick about you."

"Thanks." Batman muttered sarcastically.

He went a ways away, then ducked into an empty alley to change out of his suit. He also ripped up his clothes a little to give him a good excuse for being gone. He had been on his way home when the police scanner in his backpack picked up a kidnapping. He had donned his suit and headed off to the appropriate place, but found it already taken care of. Before he could get far from the scene, though, he had been hit with something very similar to a stun gun. He had awoken in the empty building, with no clue how long he had been out. The first thing he had done was contact Wayne, then attempt escape. Halfway through the process, though, the building stopped being empty.

He stopped suddenly, giving a sharp turn when he heard someone call his name.

"Sam?" He asked.

"There you are!" She said, running up to him. "I've been looking for you…We were worried."

"You were looking for me?" He blinked.

"Your mom asked if I had seen you, then told me you didn't get home after work. So I went out to look." She peered at him, taking in his appearance. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I got jumped." He admitted, glancing down. "Well, actually, some old lady got jumped. I decided it would be a smart idea to try and help her. Not really. When I finally figured out where the heck I was after I woke up, I started home. I'm all right."

"That was brave." She told him, then felt his head. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." He replied, nodding. "Only thing hurt is my pride."

She grinned a bit. "Come on, let's get you home."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Okay, guys. Should only be two or three chapters after this one, then I'll wrap this up. Thanks to all those who reviewed!

The next day at school, Samantha and Max talked in hushed tones about Terry's reaction to Dana's break-up during first period. Max was just as worried as Samantha was about it.

When second period came, Samantha sat down next to Dana, greeting her with a light smile and a, "Hey, Dana."

Dana looked away. "I'm surprised you're even talking to me, after what a bitch I was last night."

Samantha blinked. "Dana, you fighting with Terry is not going to make me stop talking to you."

Dana gave her a bit of a smile, then sighed. "I feel bad about what I said. I was just pissed off, I guess. But part of me meant it….As much as I like him, and regret what I said, I don't think I'm ready to get back together with him."

"So give it time." Samantha advised. "Sit back and evaluate the situation. Ultimately, you have to decide if you dating Terry is the best thing for the both of you. You know whatever happens, Dana, I'll still be your friend."

"Thanks." Dana said, sounding genuinely grateful. "I could use a friend about now."

"What about Chelsea?" Samantha asked, surprised.

Dana shrugged. "Chelsea's great, she's just not someone you tell your secrets to. And Max is Terry's best friend, so…"

Samantha smiled at her. "You busy tonight? It's Friday, so why don't you come spend the night at my place? Bill'll be working late, so we'll have the run of the apartment."

"Yeah?" Dana cheered up. "That'd be great. Thanks, Sam."

"Anytime, Dana." Samantha told her.

When Samantha met with Terry for fourth period Phys. Ed., she told him Dana was coming over.

"Just as a heads up." She told him. "This isn't going to be about you. This is just me being a friend to Dana."

Terry nodded. "I know. I'll make myself scarce. I'm working tonight, anyway."

Samantha smiled at him. "Thanks, Ter. You're a sweetheart."

She gave him a hug, then ran off for the girls' locker room.

"Well, here we are." Samantha commented, opening the door to let Dana in. "Home sweet home. Or rather, apartment, sweet apartment."

Dana laughed and shut the door behind her. "Where should I put this?" She asked, holding up her bag.

"Just drop it anywhere." Samantha replied.

"Shway." Dana said, putting her stuff down by the living room couch.

"You hungry?" Samantha questioned. "I ditched the last part of Phys. Ed. To head to the grocery store, so we've got the works. Ice cream, chocolate, potato chips…Plus some left-over cheesecake." She didn't mention Terry had ditched as well, in order to drive her to the store. There'd be time for that later…When Dana wasn't hurting.

Dana grinned. "Cheesecake? It's so my favorite food."

"Well, then, you're in luck." Samantha informed her, pulling it out. "Homemade, just last night."

"You made this?" Dana asked, accepting the fork Samantha gave her.

"Yup." Samantha agreed as the two dug into the cake.

"Mmm." Dana commented. "This is awesome. How'd you learn to cook?"

"My dad, although I guess I taught myself, really." Samantha answered. "My dad died when I was five, so pretty much the only memories I have of him are in the kitchen, teaching me how to cook. It's kinda stupid, but I feel like whenever I'm cooking something, my dad's with me."

"It's not stupid." Dana assured her. "It's sweet."

"And stupid." Samantha said with a laugh. "I admit it."

Dana poked her with her fork, laughing. "Is not. So, what's up for tonight?"

Five hours later had the two girls sprawled out on the floor, watching old romantic comedies. They had already seen most of them, so conversations were kept up thorough-out the movies and they had gotten to know quite a bit about each other.

"We're out of popcorn." Dana informed Samantha when a movie called "Caught Up" ended.

"And I suppose you want me to go get some?" Samantha retorted, snickering.

Dana batted her eyelashes at the other girl. "You know you want to."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. You pick out the next movie, then."

She grabbed the empty popcorn bowl and headed to the kitchen. Dana grinned after her, then pulled herself into a sitting position to search through the movies. She came across a blank one and, curious, popped it in. The screen flickered to life, showing at first nothing, then a stage. It was obviously a home movie, a fact made definite when Samantha appeared on the stage. She was dressed in a black leotard with a silver sash about her waist and a silver tiara. Music started playing, and Samantha began to dance. She was really good, and Dana found herself leaning closer as more dancers came out on the stage, both male and female.

"What are we watching?" Samantha asked as she returned, popcorn bowl now full. She saw what was on the screen and blushed furiously moving over to stop it. "How'd you find that?"

Dana held the remote away from her, grinning. "It was in the pile. When was this? You're good."

Samantha gave up, grinning a bit sheepishly. "Two years ago. I still don't know how it got in the pile…Can we stop it now?"

"Sure." Dana replied. "But only if you promise to show me some moves."

Samantha blushed darker, then laughed. "Oh, okay. What are friends for if not to make fools of themselves?"

The next afternoon, as Samantha waved good-bye to Dana, she thought over the fun of the previous night. She had attempted to teach Dana some dance, but the two girls kept dissolving into giggles, making it very difficult. Despite that, though, they had gotten some pretty nice moves together. Dana turned out to be really good and they didn't look too bad together. Actually, they looked really good.

Yawning slightly, Samantha slipped on her coat and decided to go visit Zeus. She was tired, since they had stayed up into the morning and finally crashed in the living room, but she still wanted to see her dog. She called Wayne Manor to see if it was okay, and got the approval from Bruce himself. So, in a good mood, she headed up to the mansion.

"Hello, Samantha." Bruce greeted as he let her in.

"Hi, Mr. Wayne." Samantha returned. "How's my boy doing?"

"Good." Bruce replied. "He's a wonderful dog."

"Thanks." Samantha said, then trotted over to play with Zeus. The dog had his leg in a cast, but could still wag his tail with abandon and did so, utterly pleased to see her.

"I'm going to go back to work." He told her. "Come tell me when you're leaving."

"Sure thing." She agreed.

He headed out, and Samantha spent some time stroking her dog and talking silently with him.

"He sure seems to love you." Terry commented from behind her.

Samantha jumped slightly, startled out of her mental conversation. Then, she smiled. "Yeah, I guess he does. No more than I him, though. I see you two have met." She added when Terry sat down next to them and Zeus gave his hand a lick.

Terry nodded. "Yup. He's really sweet."

They chatted a bit, but Samantha could tell Terry was dying to talk about her night with Dana.

"Dana and I had fun last night." She told him finally. "Ate a lot of junk food, watched a bunch of movies, and she convinced me to teach her a bit of dancing. And before you ask, no, we didn't talk about you. She didn't seem to want to bring it up, so I didn't, either."

He nodded, glancing downwards.

She sighed and put a hand on his arm. "Terry. Do not beat yourself up about this. It is not your fault. Granted, it's not entirely her fault, either, but that doesn't matter. She still cares about you, Terry. A lot. If it's meant to be, she'll come back."

"I know." Terry said, looking up. "And even if she doesn't, you'll still be my friend." He paused. "Sam…"

"What?" She asked, but before she could say anything else, his lips had covered hers.

Surprised, but definitely not going to protest, Samantha sank into the kiss. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She, in turn, wrapped her arms about his neck. When they broke apart, they looked away, neither of them sure what to say.

Terry swallowed, a million thoughts running through his head. He still really cared about Dana….Very strongly. But…He kinda thought he had feelings for Samantha. The kiss just seemed to prove it…There was something there. He didn't know what to do. "Sam…I…" He started.

She looked back at him, smiling lightly. "Don't worry about it, Terry. I get it. You're really down about Dana, and you just want it to stop. It's okay, Ter."

He blinked, surprised. "Thank you." He told her, then, when she looked at him curiously, added, "For understanding."

She smiled again. "I know what it's like. Been through that myself."

"So…We can still be friends, yeah?" Terry asked. "Nothing's changed?"

"Nothing." She agreed.

Terry nodded. He knew he should be happy, but, somehow, he couldn't help feeling vaguely disappointed…


End file.
